Glasgow pensioner admits having sex with 13-year-old behind supermarket

A Glasgow pensioner had sex with a 13-year-old girl behind a supermarket while her friend was told to keep lookout.

William Melville, 70, committed the crime in the city centre between May and July 2021.

Melville befriended the pair before leading them to a nearby train station to "look after them."

He then convinced one of the girls to go into a container behind the store where they had sex.

The 15-year-old friend was ordered meantime to let them know if there were people nearby.

Melville kissed and groped a four-year-old girl while telling her a bedtime story at a property in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, 10 years previous.

He went on to intimately touch an eight-year-old girl who was up a ladder helping him to paint.

Melville pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to three sexual assaults.

He also admitted having sex with a child and engaging in sexual activity while in the presence of the other child.

The court heard that Melville met the two teenagers and pretended to know their fathers.

He then walked the girls to High Street train station to "look after them" before leading the pair to the back of the nearby supermarket.

Prosecutor Amy Hunter Hunter said: "All three found themselves at a container and Melville instructed one of the girls to keep a look out for people coming towards them."

Melville went on to have sex with one of the girls as the other was "looking away" and she "did not want to witness this."

Melville was remarked as saying "That was good" before leaving the area alone.

The girl told police that she met Melville on several occasions afterwards where he would "regularly try to kiss" her.

She added that he groped her and made sexualised comments.

The court earlier heard that Melville was asked by the four-year-old victim to read her a bedtime story.

After 20 minutes, a witness saw the bedroom door was open, the lights were off and light talking was heard.

The girl was heard to ask Melville to turn the lights on to be told no.

Prosecutor Amy Hunter said: "The witness entered the bedroom and the girl appeared to jump back from Melville's shoulder.

"He was seen to be hunched over the bed with his feet on he floor, hanging off the side of it in a manner the witness believed he would have been unable to read from."

The girl as left to sleep while Melville appeared "agitated and flustered" meantime.

The witness left as Melville asked the girl for a kiss and a cuddle.

The girl told another witness that Melville kissed her while reading a bedtime story and that he had put his hand down her pyjamas to grope her.

Melville also licked the girl on the lips when kissing her.

The court heard of a further incident in the city's Cathcart between June and August 2015 involving the eight-year-old.

The victim was up a ladder helping Melville paint a bedroom.

Miss Hunter said: "Melville approached her from behind and told her to keep painting.

"He thereafter put his hand up her dress into her underwear."

Melville went on to repeatedly touch the girl intimately before fleeing the scene.

She told her family a month later about the ordeal.

It was revealed Melville has a previous conviction for carrying out lewd, libidinous practices from 1997.

Sentence was deferred pending background reports until the new year by Sheriff Tom Hughes.

Melville was put on the sex offenders register and had his remand in custody continued meantime.

Hear the latest news on Clyde 1 on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.